


I'm Here

by rboudreau



Series: And I would choose you every time [1]
Category: Big Brother RPF
Genre: Emotional Support, M/M, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 12:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4835354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rboudreau/pseuds/rboudreau
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frankie's always there for Zach. Even if he's across the country. Even if it's only over the phone. Even if it's 4am.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Here

**Author's Note:**

> This is sappy, but I was inspired by a post I saw on Twitter.

The nightmares weren't new. They'd started back during Big Brother, each progressively worse than the last. Zach had chalked it up to him being consistently sober for the first time in years. Still, he thought when he'd returned to Palm Beach Gardens and could see first hand that Tiger, his friends, and his family were all perfectly fine, the nightmares would end.

By mid-October, he was still getting nightmares, though they were slightly different than the ones he'd had in the house. These nightmares were often about Frankie, or about how his family would react if they found out that Zach was still hopelessly in love with the man he'd met on a reality tv show. 

On the nights where he didn't get nightmares, it was usually because he couldn't sleep. His mind was always racing, always producing different scenarios in his head based on something he was told during the day. When his parents wouldn't let him go to Disney with Frankie and he'd had to see the look on Frankie's face when he'd showed up at Zach's door only to find out he wasn't coming, all he had thought about that night was Frankie giving up on him and finding someone better. When Zach had called Frankie after an interview and told him he'd be coming to Frankie's Halloween party, and they decided to dress up as each other, he spent the whole night creating scenarios in his head that ranged from kissing Frankie to letting Frankie bring him to his room and finally having sex with him. He hadn't fallen asleep until the sun was rising, just barely peaking through the curtains over the glass door in his room.

No matter what it was, nightmares or sleepless nights or just wanting to talk, Zach had developed a habit of texting Frankie around 4am. Sometimes he would talk about his nightmares or the reason he couldn't sleep, and other times he'd just talk to Frankie about golfing or Peyton or something he'd seen on Twitter that Frankie had done that day. And whether he was on the east coast or the west, Frankie always seemed to answer.

**

Frankie was exhausted. He felt like he'd been on the move ever since Big Brother ended. Everyone wanted to spend time with him now that he was free, and he wanted to catch up with people too. For the first few weeks out of the house, it hadn't been hard to text Zach back when he got the usual 4am text, because he was usually still awake. It was better when he was in LA, because the time difference made it earlier for Frankie than if he'd been in New York or Florida. 

So when he moved back to New York in November to start Rock of Ages, it was harder because he needed his sleep, and he usually ended up falling asleep at midnight. Zach thought Frankie was always just awake, never really sleeping. While that was true for a month or so out of the house, once back in New York, Frankie was near unconscious by the time he got home from the theatre every night. The last thing he wanted to do was make Zach feel like he wasn't there for him when he needed him in the middle of the night. Frankie would do anything for Zach, he'd realized that several months before. So it only seemed natural that he changed Zach's text tone to the loudest one he could find, and made sure Zach's texts would come through even if he put his phone on Do Not Disturb. 

It wasn't every night that Zach texted him, but it was often. Frankie couldn't help but to love being there for Zach, even if they were no longer locked away in the Big Brother house together. Even if Zach never decided to come out of the closet and be with him, Frankie loved him, and he wanted to be the person Zach reached out to.

**

**Zach Rance**  
_Why won't the nightmares stop?_

Frankie was startled awake by his text tone for Zach. The time on his phone said 3:54am. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and read Zach’s text.

**Frankie Grande**  
_I don’t know, love. What was it this time?_

He made his way to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, then climbed back in bed. It was a couple of minutes before Zach responded, chiming in just before 4am.

**Zach Rance**  
_I came out to my parents. They kicked me out. Called me a lot of names. Wouldn’t let me say goodbye to Pizzle. Then you didn’t want me either._

**Frankie Grande**  
_That would never happen. I’ll always be here, Zach. I’m here._

He hated that Zach felt so scared about coming out. He wanted nothing more than to whisk Zach away from Florida and keep him safe and protected from anything his parents might say if he came out. But he knew Zach wasn’t there yet, that he was still trying to figure things out. He couldn’t expect much else only a couple months after they were back to their normal lives.

**Zach Rance**  
_I know. Thanks._

**

**Zach Rance**  
_I can’t sleep. How’s LA?_

**Frankie Grande**  
_It’s good. Long night of shooting for ABDC, though._

**Zach Rance**  
_Shit, sorry. I’ll let you sleep._

**Frankie Grande**  
_No it’s okay. Promise. Tell me about your day._

Zach smiled a little, glad Frankie was willing to keep letting him talk. It was almost 3am in LA and nearing 6am where he was in Florida. After a night of filming, Frankie should’ve been asleep. Instead he was answering Zach’s texts like always. He felt bad for taking advantage of Frankie’s time, but Frankie never complained about how late Zach texted him. He always seemed to want to be there for him, and if Zach tried hard enough, he could almost pretend he and Frankie were back in the Big Brother house whispering to each other in the HOH bed. He didn’t know how Frankie managed to judge on a TV show, make YouTube videos, hang out with his friends, and still be awake to text him in the middle of the night, but he definitely wasn’t going to complain.

**

It continued this way for months. Zach would text Frankie at least three nights a week, and Frankie would respond within a minute or two. It was comforting, knowing Frankie was there for him even if he was on the other side of the country. The week Frankie went to Africa was the worst, because Frankie didn’t have the cell service to text him at all. He barely slept at all, caused by a combination of nightmares and loneliness. His mother asked him why he looked so exhausted and, in his tired state, he let it slip out that he missed Frankie. He didn’t need to be fully awake to see the look of disapproval of her face. She didn’t ask again.

Zach was laying on his bed, trying to take a nap, when his phone chimed with an incoming text message.

**Frankie Grande**  
_I’m home._

**Frankie Grande**  
_I missed you._

Zach felt a brief surge of energy, smiling brightly at his phone.

**Zach Rance**  
_I missed you too._

**Zach Rance**  
_I’m coming to Africa next time._

**

**Zach Rance**  
_What do I do if my mom or peyton don’t want me here anymore if I come out?_

**Frankie Grande**  
_Did something happen?_

**Zach Rance**  
_Not really? Idk. My mom was watching my broadcast earlier and she kinda freaked a little when I agreed with someone about me being bi and when I said something about giving blowjobs. She wouldn’t even look at me the rest of the night._

**Frankie Grande**  
_Did you try talking to her after?_

**Zach Rance**  
_She told me I was just confused. It’s almost March, how does she still think I’m confused?_

**Frankie Grande**  
_I don’t know, honey. Maybe she’s just hoping you are._

**Zach Rance**  
_Well I’m not, for the record. I haven’t been confused in months._

**Zach Rance**  
_You know that, right?_

**Frankie Grande**  
_Yea, Zach. I know._

**

**Zach Rance**  
_If I end up coming out, you’re still going to want me, right? You’re gonna be there?_

**Frankie Grande**  
_I’m here. No matter what. Don’t ever doubt that. You have my whole heart._

**

It had been a year. One entire year since they got out of the Big Brother house. One entire year since Zach started texting Frankie in the middle of the night when he needed someone to talk to. They’d been through a lot in that year. 

Zach was no longer texting him in the middle of the night. It had been at least a couple of months since Frankie had been woken up by that loud text tone he’d assigned for when Zach needed him. And he was glad. He was happy. He got comfort in the fact that he didn’t have to hear that noise at 4am any longer.

But it wasn’t because they didn’t talk. Instead, Zach’s nightmares had stopped. They decreased gradually over the summer, starting with the premiere party of the next season of Big Brother, when he and Frankie got to see each other again. The nightmares came less frequently until they stopped altogether. And in the month of September, Frankie spent much of the time in Florida. Zach picked him up from the airport, they spent several days locked away at Frankie’s home in Boca, and they decided to go on a date, their first date, that weekend. Since then, they’d been in a better place. It was easier to communicate now that Zach felt more comfortable with his sexuality and wasn’t afraid to talk about it. Somewhere along the way this summer, Zach decided he had to put his happiness first, and the person who made him happiest was the man who was always willing to answer his texts, no matter what time it was.

It was September 24th, 2015 in Los Angeles, a year after Big Brother had ended, and now the only time Zach woke him up at 4am was when he was pulling him closer in their bed. A lot had changed in the last year. But the one thing that hadn’t changed was that they were still there for each other, no matter what they’d gone through in the past.

**Author's Note:**

> I appreciate any and all comments/kudos/critique you are willing to give me. Thanks for taking the time to read this!
> 
> If you want to chat, you can find me on tumblr at [ be-your-own-anchor5](http://www.be-your-own-anchor5.tumblr.com)


End file.
